Remaining Calm
Abraham Verghese
Sunday, 27 June 2021

Read Mark 4 : 35 – 41 and Philippians 4 : 4 – 9

Focus on Philippians 4 : 7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Jesus’ twelve disciples included experienced fishermen . Violent storms on the Sea of Galilee were not uncommon . Yet these disciples who were in the boat panicked during the windstorm that swarmed their boat . The men’s fear may seem like a normal reaction to their situation . However , having been with Jesus , taught by Him and seen the miracles He had done…..should not more have been expected from them ? Jesus did and asked them why they were so afraid and still had no faith.

Are we also not like Jesus’ disciples whereby tranquility may seem impossible during life’s sudden crises , whether we are in the midst of an external storm or dealing with emotions that wreak havoc with our minds . Sometimes even situations that may not be that bad , may rattle us . Why ? We need to ask ourselves “ Do we really have faith ? “

Our God is the Omnipresent , Omnipotent and Omniscient God . He did not create us and wander off to some a distant galaxy or parallel universe to start a new project there and left us to the wimps and flows of chance and time. We do not believe in some god who has limited powers or abilities and is wondering where he went wrong with his fallen creation.

Like His disciples , we are in the presence of the God who has authority over the elements ( weather and forces of nature ) and our mind . The Almighty offers us a peace that can withstand any onslaught . If God seems far away , it is not He has who moved away from us but we who wandered off . If we are His children ( Christians ), we have the Holy Spirit in us and we do not need to call for the Holy Spirit to come down to us.

Many of the Psalms record David’s experiences where he displayed his childlike trust in God . He endured turbulences – consequences of his actions and those beyond his control . David knew that God was in control and placed himself in His loving hands. It is recorded in Psalm 4 : 8 that David declared that he could sleep in peace because “ You alone , O Lord , enable me to live securely “.

Praying through Philippians 4 : 7 “ Heavenly Father , may Your peace , which goes beyond anything we can imagine , guard our thoughts and emotions through Your Son , our Lord Jesus Christ . Amen “.

每日灵粮
星期日，2021年6月27日
标题: 保持冷静
作者：Abraham Verghese
翻译：林良億

请阅读马可福音 4 : 35 – 41 和腓立比书 4 : 4 – 9。

专注于：腓立比书 4：7 …神所赐超过人能了解的平安，必在基督耶稣里，保守你们的心思意念。

耶稣的十二个门徒包括有经验的渔夫。加利利海的猛烈风暴并不少见。可这些在船上的门徒，却在狂风骤雨中惊慌失措。在这样的处境，恐惧似乎是正常反应。然而，常与耶稣基督在一起，接受祂的教导，看到祂所行的神迹，难道不应该期望他们更有信心吗？耶稣期望了，并问他们为什么如此害怕，仍然没有信心。

我们是不是也像耶稣的门徒那样，在生活突然出现危机时，无论我们是在风暴中，还是在处理那些扰乱我们的情绪，平静似乎是不可能。有时，即使情况可能并不那么糟糕，我们可能还是会感到不安。为什么 ？我们需要问自己：“我们真的有信心吗？ “

我们的上帝是无所不在、无所不能和无所不知的。祂并没有创造我们， 然后漫游到某个遥远的星系或平行宇宙，在那里开始另一个新项目，让我们自助自理，漂游在机会和时间当中。我们所信的神不是权力或能力有限的，或是会疑惑他创造的堕落人类到底哪里出了问题。

像祂的门徒一样，我们在上帝跟前，祂对我们的思想，地球自然力量和天气元素是拥有绝对权威。全能者赐给我们的平安是可以承受任何冲击的。如果上帝看起来很远，那不是祂离开了我们，而是我们走开了。如果我们是祂的孩子（基督徒），我们就有圣灵在我们里面，我们不需要呼求圣灵降临在我们身上。

许多诗篇都记录了大卫的经历，他表现出对上帝的孩子般的信任。他忍受了动荡，包括他一些行为所带来的后果和那些他无法控制的事物。大卫知道上帝掌管一切，将自己交在祂慈爱的手中。诗篇 4 章 8 节记载，大卫宣称他可以安然入睡，“因为独有你—耶和华使我安然居住”。

通过腓立比书 4：7 祈祷: “天父，愿祢那超越想象的平安，透过祢的儿子我们的主耶稣基督，保守我们的心思意念。阿门”。